Success Stories Recovering endangered and . Order of Appearance: threatened species is challengmg and can be a rewarding process. The • Success on the Clinch River followingsuccess stories descri?e • Gray Bats on the Comeback recovery projects that are making a • Abram's Creek: Reintroduction difference for endangered and • Success of Four Listed Fishes threatened species in Tennessee. • American Peregrine Remember, you can be a part of Falcon Delisted! endangered and threatened species recovery. Continue to explore and learn about Tennessee's diverse and wonderful ecosystems! Success on the Clinch River The Clinch River Threats The nearly pristine Clinch River The Clinch River has been Is there a riverine flows through remote areas of the threatened by sediment from ecosystem in your Ridge and Valley Province of erosion caused by poor land-use northeastern Tennessee and Virginia. practices. Riparian vegetation along community? Imagine the The Clinch forms the headwaters of some stretches of the stream has difference you could make the species-rich Tennessee River been damaged or destroyed. This for wildlife and native plants system and remains its most riverine ecosystem has also been in your area by taking part important tributary. The portion of threatened by pollutants from this stream that flows through isolated industrial developments. in a stream restoration Hancock County, Tennessee, is home project! Remember, what to 15 species of federally protected Clinch River Community Project we put on the land may freshwater mussel and fish species. The Clinch River Community eventually enter the streams! Several more endangered species Project began in the early 1990s. occur upstream in Virginia. This The goals of the project included Tell afriend about the diversity makes the Clinch River one the protection and restoration of Clinch River Community of the most important sites in the riparian habitats along the Clinch Project! Participate in a world for imperiled aquatic creatures. River in Hancock County. The local stream cleanup. Nature Conservancy has been the driving force behind this project and Dispose of trash properly. has partnered with government Explore Tennessee's agencies, local officials,and, most diverse ecosystems! importantly, landowners. Success Hands-on activities such as bank stabilization, trash removal, and the fencing of riparian areas to prevent trampling from livestock are all making a difference for plants and wildlife in this ecosystem. These actions have helped to preserve and enhance the Clinch's water quality. There have been significant reductions in sediment from erosion and other pollutants that threaten the aquatic life of the Clinch. Stream- bottom habitats essential for aquatic creatures have been protected from trampling by livestock and the smothering effects of silt and muck. The future of the Clinch River depends on the continuation of such efforts. Residents of Hancock County are learning more about the rich natural heritage of the Clinch River valley thanks to this ongoing project. Gray Bats On The Comeback The gray bat (Myotis grisescens) Gray bat populations are stabilized distances to help build these depends on cave ecosystems or increasing in numbers at the most fences and gates. It takes many throughout the year. It is perhaps important maternity and hibernation dedicated people working together to more dependent on caves than any caves. Dedicated field biologists, help save and recover species, but it other mammal in the United States. researchers, and conservation minded can be done. To thrive, these bats require cavers have made this possible by undisturbed caves for winter fencing or gating cave entrances and These efforts have been rewarded hibernation, and warm caves for restricting access during the times with a significant increase in the raising their young in the summer. the bats are present. This allows the numbers of gray bats in Tennessee. When a maternity colony is disturbed bats to hibernate and raise their AB an example, the gray bat by visiting humans, thousands of young undisturbed. The cave gates maternity colony at Nickajack Cave young may be dropped to the cave and fences are specially designed to near Chattanooga was disturbed so floor and abandoned. Disturbance permit bats and other cave life to frequently by recreational boaters on during hibernation causes the bats to freely enter and leave the caves, but Bunersville Lake that they use up the stored energy that they keep unauthorized visitors out when abandoned the cave. The Tennessee need to survive the winter. AB a the bats are present. Valley Authority, working with the result of human disturbance and Gating and fencing caves is no easy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the destruction of their caves, this species feat. It takes an incredible amount of Tennessee Wildlife Resources declined drastically and was listed as manpower to get tools, generators, Agency, constructed a fence that an endangered species on April 26, fencing materials, and steel to the protects the bats and the colony. 1976. Thankfully, recovery efforts cave sites. In many cases, numerous AB a result, the colony has recovered are working. volunteers have given up entire to pre-disturbance levels. weekends and have driven long Abram's Creek: Reintroduction of Four Listed Fishes Smoky Madtom Duskytail darter Etheostoma percnurum Endangered Smoky madtom Noturus baileyi Endangered Spotfin chub Cyprinella monacha Threatened Yellowfinmadtom N oturus jlavipinnis Threatened Nongame Fishes many nongame fish species were the project were to (1) ensure The smoky madtom, yellowfin eliminated from the creek. At that that Abram's Creek would have madtom, duskytail darter, and spotfin time, resource managers did not consistently clean water and chub are members of a large group of realize the vital connection between (2) develop propagation and species known as nongame fishes. nongame fishes and the success and reintroduction techniques for the They each have specific habitat health of a riverine ecosystem. Since rare fishes. Today, Conservation requirements and unique then, some nongame fish species have Fisheries, Inc. leads the characteristics. All four of them can returned to the creek from upstream reintroduction effort by researching be found in Abram's Creek, a and downstream sources. The and developing these mountain stream that flows through Chilhowee Reservoir, which needed techniques. the Great Smoky Mountains National impounded the lower end of Abram's Park in Blount County, Tennessee. Creek, along with other contributing Spotfin chubs were collected from the While game fish species (those caught factors, blocked nearly half of the Little Tennessee River and released by fishermen for sport and food) have 63 fish species that once inhabited directly into Abram's Creek in 1986. been successfully introduced and the stream from returning. Yellowfin and smoky madtom eggs reintroduced throughout the country and young were collected from the for a long time, few nongame fish Reintroduction wild in 1986and raised in captivity, reintroduction efforts have The University of Tennessee at and juveniles were released into been attempted. Knoxville combined efforts with the Abram's Creek later in the year. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Duskytail darter nest clutches were Threats Tennessee Wildlife Resources collected from the wild in 1992, Icthyocides are chemicals that were Agency, the National Park Service, one year before the species was used in 1957to eliminate unwanted and the U.S. Forest Service to listed. Young darters were raised in nongame fisqes from Abram's Creek restore the species diversity and captivity and released into Abram's in the hope of improving the stream's health ofAbram's Creek. In 1986,the Creek. Since the beginning of the trout fishery. The chemical treatment fish restoration project in Abram's project, over 2,600 adult and young did not improve the trout fishery, but Creek began. The first steps of spotfin chubs have been released into Abram's Creek, as into other historical habitats by the well as 1,500smoky madtoms, year 2000. It will take many more Tell afriend about 500 yellowfin madtoms, and over successful reintroductions before 1,300duskytail darters. these species no longer need the Abram's Creek and this protection provided by the nongame fish reintroduction. Success Endangered Species Act. Learn more about nongame Beginning in 1995,consistent fish species and their observations indicated that all four species were surviving in Abram's habitats. Help with local Creek. They appeared to be healthy, stream cleanups and water and three of the four reintroduced quality monitoring projects, species were breeding. Male and report illegal dumping. duskytail darters have been observed guarding large nests, pairs of Explore Tennessee's yellowfin madtoms and smoky diverse ecosystems! madtoms were seen preparing nests, male smoky madtoms were seen guarding their eggs, and young madtoms and darters have been observed. Future releases will be needed in order to ensure success, and biologists are now looking at other streams for future reintroduction sites. They hope to reintroduce these nongame fishes American Peregrine Falcon Delisted! (Falco peregrinus anatum) Status Role in the Ecosystem The American peregrine falcon was Peregrines are mighty predators; Tell afriend about the listed as endangered on June 2, 1970, they sit at the top of the food chain. American peregrine falcon. and delisted in August, 1999. It is They hunt in the air for waterfowl, now protected by the Migratory Bird songbirds, and sometimes flying Protect high-elevation Treaty Act and the Lacey Act. mammals, like bats, which live off of ecosystems by supporting insects and plant material. Should local, regional, and national Description something go wrong with any link in The American peregrine falcon is a this chain, the peregrines will be clean air standards. View affected. The health of these amazing peregrines from a distance. medium-sized falcon, about the size of a crow, with long, pointed wings birds is dependent on a healthy Use pesticides carefully and and a long tail.